FAVORITE TEAMS

We finally made it to November. Unfortunately, not many came out unscathed. There were ranked losses in that month that left a lot wondering what the hell had happened? There’s still hope for some that suffered their first loss last week and could still make up time with four games left. Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Washington, Air Force, James Madison, and Liberty are the remaining ranked teams. The schedules in the last four to five weeks are a gauntlet from start to finish in the last regular season of the four-team playoff era. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the chaos!

UTSA won four straight games, and all were in the AAC conference. After a tough road of non-conference battles, they’re climbing up the conference board for a place in the AAC championship. North Texas might be difficult for UTSA, but the Roadrunners are on too much of a hot streak to slow down.

MY PICK: UTSA

What a time to be #1 in the country, and the Buckeyes are in for an interesting road matchup against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are undefeated at home, and their defense plays sneaky good football under coach Greg Schiano. The only issue is that their offense isn’t up to par against good Big Ten opponents. To make matters worse, Jim Knowles’ defense could punish the offense from all ends of the field.

MY PICK: OHIO STATE

Boise and Fresno battle for the second spot in the Mountain West title game against likely Air Force. Fresno keeps rolling with seven wins this season while Boise’s hanging on despite not looking like themselves. They utilized two quarterbacks in Taylen Green and Maddux Madsen to make it work. The Broncos have a shot at the Bulldogs, but Fresno State’s resilient enough to hold off Boise to hold firm in the Top 3 standings.

MY PICK: FRESNO STATE

Congrats to the Jayhawks on a massive win against the Top 10 Sooners. It hurts me, but not as much as I’d expect when Lance Liepold’s the head coach. Now, it’s time to stop celebrating and fish the goal post out of the lake, pond, whatever, because they have a road matchup against the Cyclones. Surprisingly, Iowa State’s in the middle of the fray with four other teams with one conference loss and could find their way into the conference championship. Despite the run Kansas was on, they’re still about two decades horrible on the road and it guts me being a Lance Liepold fan. Iowa State plans to spoil the Jayhawks’ party with their pesky defense. The player to watch if you haven’t already, quarterback Rocco Becht, former NFL tight end Anthony Becht’s son.

MY PICK: IOWA STATE

Next up in the Big 12’s Top 6 fray is Kansas State vs. Texas. Yes, we’re aware that Quinn Ewers is out, but let’s not assume Maalik Murphy won’t get the job done. The kid from California will figure things out on offense. He has an array of weapons on the field and running backs to hand off to. However, let’s hope he’s ready for the Wildcats because Kansas State’s on a Texas run and already put down three of them in a row. They play their fourth straight Texas opponent, and it’ll be their toughest task on the schedule. Quarterback Will Howard feels like himself after some shaky play. Him, running back DJ Giddens, tight end Ben Sinnott, and receiver Phillip Brooks should be all in against the Longhorns’ defense. It’s likely a slugfest and Kansas State will complicate things, but Texas has enough resilience to overcome in a very important game for a Big 12 title opportunity.

MY PICK: TEXAS

Last season, Arizona prevented UCLA from a late comeback on the road, which helped lead the ‘Cats to two of the last three wins. This season, these same ‘Cats look fierce and pouncing on every opponent they play, win or lose. It’s unfortunate that quarterback Jayden de Laura was hurt, but the new kid Noah Fifita looked solid in de Laura’s absence. If anything, him and the squad are scaring opponents as much as de Laura did in four starts. UCLA’s the underrated team in the Pac-12 and completely overshadowed by USC once again. But now it’s looking bluer and gold as the Trojans’ empire continues to crumble. Despite playing with a few new players on offense, they managed through their schedule. However, the quarterback position is ongoing between Dante Moore and Ethan Garbers. No matter who’s starting, their offense is physical with running backs Carson Steele and TJ Harden with a defense that’s playing their best football in Chip Kelly’s tenure. The Bruins and Wildcats will play tough for all four quarters, but Arizona’s played hot lately and have their game together to try and surprise the Pac-12 with a title appearance. I expect the Wildcats to come away with another big victory over their third straight ranked opponent.

MY PICK: ARIZONA

This is the first matchup between ranked teams since 2014, which Mizzou was shut out in that loss. Prior to that, they upset Georgia in their second season as an SEC program in 2013. It took Eli Drinkwitz time to put this roster together, and now the Tigers are playing their best football in his fourth season as a head coach. It also took St. Louis local quarterback Brady Cook to finally wake up and lead his unit to probably their best start since 2013. Defense looks their best in Drinkwitz’s tenure with a collection of players playing well together. We all know most things about Georgia and they’re aiming for their third straight National Championship. However, they had a few slow starts during the season whether it’s getting some new players acclimated to their starting roles or trying to find consistency as a whole. Either way, they still play dominant football. Can this team manage without Brock Bowers in this matchup? Quarterback Carson Beck’s coming into his own as the guy and has plenty to prove in this matchup. It could be a long day for the Bulldogs or the Tigers, but I’m siding with the most put together team in Georgia at home.

MY PICK: GEORGIA

And the last of the Big 12’s Top 6 fray takes place in the state of Oklahoma, but…s***, Oklahoma finally lost ugly to Kansas last week due to injuries and miscues. Not sure if they were looking towards Oklahoma State early or the hangover after the win over Texas hasn’t stopped since the bye. Either way, this is THE Bedlam Rivalry to end all for a few seasons, years, or even decades (God no!). The Cowboys are on the map again and playing at the right time after taking out the Sunflower State, West Virginia, and Big 12 newcomer Cincinnati. Despite their home being royally spoiled by South Alabama, they’re still the host with the most and they’ll “cater” to the Sooners when they come into Stillwater. It’ll be loud, it’ll be electric, and the fans will be smacking the matted walls of the stadium with their Ok State paddles as it’s the last Bedlam meeting between these two as Big 12 opponents. I won’t give out the stats or what to expect because it’s Bedlam. Anything could happen and things could go right or wrong for either team. All it takes is one big play to define the matchup as it always has been between Oklahoma rivals. Let’s enjoy the ride as I pick Oklahoma for a hopeful bounce back.

MY PICK: OKLAHOMA

USC was in plenty of close games for about one and a half seasons since Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, Alex Grinch, and a few transfers arrived last season. There’s no escaping a Pac-12 matchup that they can’t run away from since this season. As for Washington, they looked dominant at the beginning before Arizona probably scathed their tires that led to close games, including the last two where they had no business struggling in. Whatever the case, we’re expecting another great Pac-12 matchup between Washington that’s fighting for a playoff spot and USC going from potential playoff contenders to giant killers. USC will come out with plenty of offense as long as Caleb Williams is on the field. Washington’s expected to do the same with little to no resistance. Defense could be a forgone conclusion until maybe towards the end of the game. However, it’s unclear which Washington team we’ll see this weekend, and be aware that Washington’s had some issues on the road in Pac-12 competition for the past few seasons. USC could light things up and put the Huskies in a vice. Unfortunately, the Trojan defense won’t save them since Washington has NFL receivers across the board.

MY PICK: WASHINGTON

This is for sure the Game of the Week, but it’s also potentially an SEC West elimination game that LSU doesn’t want to be a part of after already losing to Ole Miss. Alabama should avoid this too because that loss could create a three-way tie that may favor LSU or Ole Miss based on on-field performance more than wins and losses. LSU’s offense is the best in the SEC and second best in the nation. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is the main reason with help from his array of weapons like receiver Malik Nabers and running back Logan Diggs. Alabama’s been inconsistent for six of the eight games this season, but they’re still in line for a playoff spot and haven’t lost in the SEC yet. The great thing about them is that they still have plenty of motor to run through the second half. Maybe a bye was the best break they needed to figure out how to play a full game and not just the second half. The team understands that quarterback Jalen Milroe’s the guy and everyone must be patient with him. Last year, LSU put an end to the Tide’s SEC championship hopes with a two-point conversion clincher in overtime. Alabama hasn’t forgotten that and plans to avenge their loss with a big victory to end LSU’s SEC championship hopes. If the Tide wins by way of the second half again, then they win by way of the second half again.

MY PICK: ALABAMA

WEEK 9 RESULTS: 7-3

TOTAL RESULTS: 43-27

I got better despite blindly picking in a short week. It’s a shame Oklahoma lost, but I was worried about that matchup to begin with. I didn’t watch the whole game, but it wasn’t good until things finally got going, but Kansas played as good of football as possible and won. If you don’t know who Kansas coach Lance Liepold is, you’ll know him sooner if not now. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve learned and seen turn down-and-out teams around to compete. Also, I forgot that I picked Arizona. I was unaware due to my long week of plans and trips. Holy cow, fantastic job Jedd Fisch and company. You Wildcats are awesome!